Paul Strand

Paul Strand (born October 16, 1890 in New York City – March 31, 1976) In the 20th century in his six decades of diverse work, Paul Strand helped photography become established as an art form. His genres and subjects were throughout Africa, Europe, Egypt and America. His photograph “Wall Street” shot in 1915 was very famous.

Style

Filmmaker and American Photographer

Beginnings

Paul Strand was born to Bohemian Jewish parents. Born in New York City it was while visiting the “291 Art Gallery” on a fieldtrip at the ethical culture Fieldston School that Paul decided to take photography more seriously. Paul also used his photography for social reform and was one of the founders of an association of photographers who used their photographs to promote political causes called “The Photo League”.

Career

Paul was not only passionate about photography but film making as well. After Paul left the United States in June 1949 to present “Native Land” in Czechoslovakia at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival he spent 27 years of his life in France with his third wife Hazel Kingsbury. Later when he returned to photography he produced his best work in six books. “Time in New England”, La France de Profil”, Un Paese”, “Tir a ‘Mhurain/Outer Herbrides”, Living in Egypt” and “Ghana: An African Portrait”.

Film Making

Paul Strand was very passionate about film making so after serving in the Army Medical Corps Paul produced his first silent film called “Manhatta” in 1921, also known as “New York the Magnificent”. He retired from film making in 1948 and continued his photography career.

Politics

Although Paul Strand was not a communist, most of his collaborators were party members or socialist activists. And because of this his involvement with Frontier Films was branded as un-American by the US Attorney General.

Exhibits

National Gallery of Art in 1990; The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 1992 of his work from 1915 through 1975; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1998).

Honors

Honor Roll of the American Society of Magazine Photographers (1963), David Octavius Hill Metal (1967), Swedish Photographers Association and Swedish Film Archives Award (1970).

Paul Strand was married to Rebecca Salsbury, a painter in 1921, then married Hazel Kingsbury in 1951. He was 85 when he died during an illness in France.

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